Resource Use Assessments, Monitoring

Terms of Reference

Resource Use Assessments, Monitoring and Mentorship for Tourism Businesses

December 2025

Plan International Laos (PIL) is currently seeking a service provider to assess the resource use assessments tourism businesses, including follow-up monitoring and mentorship/coaching. This activity spans two separate but interrelated projects: the Lasting Laos and the Plastic Smart Laos projects.
1.      About Plan International Laos
Working in over 50 developing countries globally, Plan International strives for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan International has been working in Laos since 2007, and is delivering programs in 10 provinces in Laos, including Bokeo, Oudomxay, Luang Prabang, Vientiane and Salavan Provinces. We support children and youth to access their rights through our Public Health, Education, Livelihoods, Adolescent and Youth Economic Empowerment programmes. In all contexts, together with partners, we strive for lasting impact in norms, attitudes and behaviors, social and economic safety nets, and policy frameworks. Our work includes community-based action, partner strengthening, and policy advocacy, all focused on gender transformative programming. Visit www.plan-international.org and www.lastinglaos.com for more information.
2.      Project Background
The Lasting Laos project is funded by the European Union (EU) under the SWITCH-Asia Programme with co-funding from Plan International Germany. The project builds upon and scales-up key aspects of the previously EU funded project, SUSTOUR Laos project (2020-2024). Specific actions continued into the Lasting Laos project include: Lasting Laos sustainability certification programme, developing green products and services, tackling single-use plastic (SUP) waste and access to finance for MSMEs in the tourism value chain.

Focusing upon key tourist destinations and urban centres with the highest concentration of MSMEs (Vientiane Capital, Luang Prabang Province, Vientiane Province), while expanding and scaling-up to one additional province (Champasak Province), the project contributes to the tourism value chain in its growth, ensuring MSMEs are sustainable, non-polluting and contributing to the sustainable livelihoods of Lao women, men and children.

Plan International, in partnership with LNCCI, will achieve this by promoting and standardizing sustainability certifications, and bringing MSMEs in a variety of tourism related sectors into the green transition of the economy. The Lasting Laos certification provides tailored support for MSMEs, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to transform their businesses towards circular economy, decent work and SCP practices while creating spaces and opportunities for young entrepreneurs to innovate in these areas. The project creates a foundation for replication and scale-up across other sectors of the Laos economy and ultimately aims to cultivate a movement for environmentally and socially conscious entrepreneurship and investment in the Lao tourism value chain. The project has 2 main objectives:

• Specific Objective 1: MSMEs throughout the Lao tourism supply chain adopt SCP, circular economy and decent work practices through the Lasting Laos sustainability certification programme supported by an enabling policy environment.
• Specific Objective 2: MSMEs and young entrepreneurs (YEs) are provided with technical support to access green financing instruments (GFIs) in order to produce and adopt and promote green products, services and solutions that demonstrate circular economy, low carbon and SCP practices for the Lao tourism value chain.

The Plastic-Smart Laos project, funded by the Global Environment Fund with co-funding from France and the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM), and implemented in cooperation between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Swisscontact and Plan International Laos, will support Laos in its efforts to become a plastic-smart country with the objective of reducing the production and use of SUP, in particular those used for the consumption of food and beverage. By aiming to reduce food and plastic SUPs in Laos, the programme will indirectly help to tackle a key source of plastic pollution in the country (45% is SUP waste), and therefore reduce the leakage of plastic waste into the environment.

The programme will adopt a systemic and integrated approach, taking account of all the links in the value chain. In particular, it will involve deploying upstream interventions to reduce the production and use of problematic and unnecessary food and beverage SUP. The private sector will be empowered to be part of the solution both as drivers of change and innovators of concrete solutions. Across the programme’s 5 components, LNCCI will work with Plan to ensure the quality implementation of the following:

• Support Component 1: facilitating the adoption of a regulatory framework enabling the reduction of problematic food and beverage SUPs, and incentivize the production and use of eco-friendly substitutes.
• Lead on Component 3: supporting the transition of the tourism/hospitality sectors towards less SUP and better waste management practices through the Lasting Laos certification programme.

In addition, both projects will contribute to the Lasting Laos Small Grants Matching Programme which is funded by FFEM, the TUI Care Foundation and Plan International Germany. The programme will directly provide financial assistance in the form of small grants for MSMEs and young entrepreneurs operating in the Lao tourism value chain to innovate, develop, and implement green products, services, and solutions. The grants programme focuses on fostering sustainable consumption and production, circular economy practices, and tackling priority sectors like agri-food, textiles/handicrafts, and single-use plastic (SUP) waste management.

Furthermore, central to both projects is the Lasting Laos Certification Programme which is a local sustainability programme for MSMEs in the Lao tourism industry that have demonstrated sustainable environmental, social and economic practices. The programme has been developed previously as part of the SUSTOUR Laos project (funded by the European Union) and administered locally by the LNCCI. The goal of the programme is to improve the overall sustainability of the tourism value chain by providing benchmarks and guidance for local MSMEs to measure and improve their sustainability. The certification is based on a set of sustainability criteria developed for four key sectors of the tourism industry (transportation, handicrafts, food & beverage, cultural excursions) with waste management as a priority cross-cutting issue across all sectors. These criteria have been developed in consultation with relevant private and public sector stakeholders and is based on the internationally recognized Travelife certification. MSMEs must demonstrate compliance with the criteria in order to become a Lasting Laos certified business. MSMEs report their compliance of the checklist through an online platform and compliance is verified by LNCCI with technical support provided by Plan. MSMEs who have proven compliance with the certification criteria are awarded and recognized as leading sustainable MSMEs in the Lao tourism industry.
3.      Objective
The overall objective of this service is to support PIL and LNCCI in conducting resource use assessments and providing monitoring and mentorship for 60 pilot tourism MSMEs over the course of the Lasting Laos and Plastic Smart Laos projects. The activity will strengthen MSMEs’ environmental performance by assessing and improving energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste management practices aligned with the Lasting Laos Certification Programme. Establishing a baseline and monitoring throughout the projects will determine the reduced levels of resource use and each business’ environmental performance. Mentorship and coaching will provide the businesses with essential technical assistance to implement improvements in resource use and realize benefits in resource efficiency.

The 60 pilots MSMEs, primarily hotels/guesthouses (to be selected by PIL), must be located in the project target areas of Vientiane Capital, Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng, and must have already obtained a relevant sustainability certification (e.g. Lasting Laos, Travelife, etc.) or demonstrated a strong commitment to become Lasting Laos certified over the course of the projects. Furthermore, this service will indirectly assess the effectives of the Lasting Laos certification in regards to these aspects and address a fundamental question regarding sustainability certifications, i.e., do they actually improve the environmental performance of those that they certify? The findings will be used to strengthen the certification programme.

The service will support components of both the Lasting Laos and Plastic Smart Laos projects. Each project has specific requirements which need to be met by the service provider. Under the Lasting Laos project, the work will focus only on water and energy use of the 60 pilots MSMEs, while under the Plastic Smart Laos project, the work will focus only on waste management with an emphasis on single-use plastics (SUPs). The specific objectives and requirements for each project are as follows:

Lasting Laos (Water and Energy Use):

• Develop a standardized methodology and tools for assessing MSME energy and water use in line with the Lasting Laos certification programme.
• Conduct baseline resource use assessments to identify current consumption patterns and potential efficiency improvements focusing on energy and water use.
• Support MSMEs to prepare and implement resource efficiency action plans focused on energy and water saving measures.
• Monitor and evaluate progress, quantifying reductions in consumption, emissions, and operational costs, including a midterm assessment of all MSMEs in project year 3 (Y3).
• Pilot MSMEs reach measurable reductions in resource use, reaching minimum targets of 20% reduction in water and 10% reduction in electricity use

Plastic Smart Laos (Waste Management):

• Develop a standardized methodology and tools for assessing MSME waste management, focusing on SUPs, in line with the Lasting Laos certification programme.
• Assess current waste management systems and SUP use in MSMEs., including procurement practices.
• Conduct a survey of customer/staff views on the benefits and use of alternatives over plastics.
• Identify opportunities for waste reduction, segregation, recycling, and substitution of SUP with sustainable alternatives.
• Provide technical coaching to MSMEs on waste prevention, separation, and circular economy practices.
• Monitor and document reductions in waste generation and plastic leakage, supporting replication and policy learning, including an endline assessment of all MSMEs in Y5.
• Pilot MSMEs reach measurable reductions in SUP waste reduction, aiming to reach an ambitious target of 80% reduction in SUP use/waste.

4.      Scope of Work
The selected service provider will work closely with Plan International Laos and LNCCI to plan, conduct, and monitor the assessments and mentoring programme for 60 pilot MSMEs in 3 project target areas and key tourism destinations (Vientiane Capital, Luang Prabang, Vientiane Province).

Phase 1: Methodology Development and Baseline Assessments

• Develop the assessment framework, checklists, and data collection templates, integrating relevant best practices (e.g. Lasting Laos, Travelife, ASHRAE energy audit principles, etc.) adapted for local tourism MSMEs.
• Prepare an inception report outlining the methodology and work plan for the assessments, mentorship/coaching and monitoring.
• In coordination with PIL and LNCCI, conduct on-site baseline assessments (approx. 3 days per MSME) covering (but not limited to):
  • Energy: consumption records, equipment and appliance efficiency, lighting, HVAC, renewable potential, etc. (taking approx. 0.5 days).
  • Water: use points, metering, leakages, fixtures, waste water practices, conservation opportunities, etc. (taking approx. 0.5 days).
  • Waste: generation patterns, composition, segregation practices, SUP use, storage, collection, procurement practices, disposal methods, and staff/customer survey, etc. (taking approx. 2 days per business).
• Analyse findings to establish a resource use baseline for each MSME and prepare summary reports with actionable recommendations for each business.
• Present the summary findings to PIL and LNCCI.

Phase 2: Mentorship and Coaching

• Working closely with each MSME, develop a detailed action plan based on the baseline findings and designed to address specific issues. Each action plan must include measurable indicators with clear short, medium and long-term targets.
• Provide tailored mentorship and coaching to guide implementation of resource efficiency measures as outlined in each action plan. The coaching may include capacity-building sessions, peer learning workshops, 1-on-1 coaching, remote guidance, etc. The coaching should cover an average of 6 days per MSME of the course of both projects (approx. 4 days focusing on waste/SUP and 2 days focusing on water and energy).
• Coordinate with PIL and LNCCI to integrate relevant coaching outputs into MSMEs’ ongoing Lasting Laos certification process.

Phase 3: Monitoring and Evaluation

• Conduct follow-up monitoring to measure progress against baseline indicators.
• Quantify improvements in energy, water, and waste performance, including cost savings and environmental benefits.
• Following a similar methodology employed during the baseline assessments, implement a streamlined midterm assessment of all MSMEs in project Y3 (approx. 1 day per MSME) followed by a more thorough endline assessment in Y5 (approx. 2 days per MSME).
• Prepare consolidated midterm progress and endline final reports and presentations highlighting key results, case studies, and lessons learned.

5.      Deliverables
The following deliverables are expected from the service provider:

#
Deliverable
Description
Timeframe

Phase 1 (February – June 2026)

1
Inception Report
Detailed report outlining the methodology, work plan, assessment framework, templates, sampling plan (20 pages max. excluding annexes). This report must be approved by PIL before moving onto the next deliverables.
Feb 2026

2
Baseline Assessments, Summary Reports and Presentation
Conduct on-site baseline assessments as per the approved inception report and prepare individual MSME baseline reports (energy, water, waste) and summary findings. Present the summary findings to PIL, LNCCI and other project stakeholders.
Mar – June 2026

Phase 2 (July 2026 – Feb 2028)

3
Individual Action Plans
In cooperation with each MSME, develop tailored action plans with measurable improvements and recommendations, including relevant indicators and targets.
July – Sept 2026

4
Mentorship and Coaching
Provide ongoing, tailored coaching meeting the specific needs of each MSME.
Oct 2026 – Feb 2028

Phase 3 (March 2028 – Sept 2029)

5
Mid-Term Assessment, Reports and Presentation
Conduct streamlined midterm assessments to assess progress towards indicators, collect aggregated monitoring data and preliminary results. Develop summary progress reports and present findings to PIL, LNCCI and other project stakeholders.
March – April 2028

6
Endline Assessment, Reports and Presentation
Conduct endline assessments to assess overall progress towards indicators, consolidated results, quantified impacts, and case studies. Prepare a final report and present findings to PIL, LNCCI and other project stakeholders.
July – Sept 2029

6.      Timeline & Working Days
The contract is expected to commence on 16 February 2026 and end on 30 September 2029 for an estimated 720 working days. The working location is Vientiane Capital, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang.

#

Phase / Deliverables

Timeline

Total Est. # of Working Day

1
Phase 1: Methodology Development and Baseline Assessments (Deliverables 1-2)
February to June 2026
3 days per MSME (2 for waste, 1 for energy/water) * 60 MSMEs = 180 days (including methodology development, preparation, reporting, travel, etc.)

2
Phase 2: Mentorship and Coaching (Deliverable 3-4)
July 2026 to February 2028
6 days per MSME (4 for waste, 2 for energy/water) * 60 MSMEs = 360 days (including preparation, reporting, travel, etc.)

3
Phase 3: Monitoring and Evaluations (Deliverables 5-6)
March 2028 to September 2029
3 days per MSME (1 for midterm and 2 for endline evaluations) * 60 MSMEs = 180 days (including preparation, reporting, travel, etc.)

Total Est. # of Working Days:
720

 
7.      Payment Details
There will be a total of 6 equal payment installments (16.66% each) provided upon the satisfactory completion and approval of each deliverable (1 through 6) based on the value of the budget submitted by the awarded service provider.
8.      Qualifications

• A legally registered company, consulting firm, or organization operating in Laos with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in environmental management, sustainability audits, or MSME support.
• Proven track record in conducting energy, water, or waste management assessments within the tourism, hospitality, or service sectors.
• Demonstrated understanding of sustainable consumption and production (SCP), circular economy, and green business certification systems (e.g. Travelife, ASEAN Green Hotel, or similar).
• Multidisciplinary team with relevant technical specialists, including:
  • Energy/Mechanical Engineer – experience in energy audits, efficiency measures, or renewable energy applications.
  • Environmental or Water Resource Specialist – experience in water conservation and wastewater management.
  • Waste Management Expert – knowledge of waste audits, plastic reduction, and circular economy practices.
• Sustainability or Business Advisor – experience in MSME coaching, monitoring, and behaviour change facilitation.
• Strong skills in data collection, analysis, and report writing.
• Excellent communication skills in both Lao and English languages is a must.
• Experience working with development organizations or donor-funded projects is an asset.
• Commitment to Plan International’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and ethical standards.

Child Protection: Plan or its partners does not tolerate child abuse. All staff and consultants are selected and employed in line with the conditions of Plan’s Child Protection Policy. These include appropriate reference and background checks.
9.      Application Process
Plan invites interested applicants to submit their application to Laos.procurement@plan-international.org, and copy to Pengmoua.Nengthongpavue@plan-international.org. The application deadline is January 23rd, 2026.

For any technical inquiries please contact connor.bedard@plan-international.org. P

Please include the text “Resource Use Assessments, Monitoring and Mentorship for Tourism Businesses” in the email subject line and kindly include support documents as outlined below:

1. An expression of interest (1-page maximum).
2. An indicative work plan with timeframe (1-page maximum).
3. An indicative budget with a daily rate, any travel and other costs (must be inclusive of per diem, travel costs and other related government charge (Tax, VAT).
4. Curriculum Vitae of any persons mentioned in the work plan (If a consulting firm or company, a company profile with: a company name, registered office address, physical address, telephone numbers, date of registration, registration number, copy of registration certificate, names of directors/proprietors and name of contact person).

Note: All applications received after the time of the deadline will not be accepted without exception. Please note that only the successful tender will be contacted.